Chapter 78: Rescue in the Haunted Depths

A ball of magical light illuminated the dark basement as the four of us diligently searched through the rooms.

Honestly, I thought I was doing my best, but compared to the speed of the other three, I looked like I was slacking.

While I managed to inspect one room, the others were covering two or three in the same amount of time.

Even Presia, despite her frail body, was enhancing her strength with magic to aid her search.

Presia didn’t have much personal connection to Yuri, yet she worked tirelessly, likely out of a sense of responsibility for involving an outsider in her mission.

Fortunately, we didn’t encounter any prank-rigged rooms like before.

However, the bigger problem was that we still hadn’t found Yuri.

“This is the last one.”

We had completed a full circuit of the basement and now stood before the room adjacent to the first one we searched.

If Yuri wasn’t here, the situation would become far more dire.

The tension was palpable as my hand reached for the doorknob and turned it.

Click. Creeeeak.

The doorknob turned, and with a grating sound, the door slowly opened.

Through the crack, a faint sound reached us—something we hadn’t heard before.

“Sniff…”

Listening more closely, it sounded less like speech and more like sobbing.

The door fully opened.

The room inside was relatively dark, but the magical light provided enough illumination to see clearly.

It was a spacious, mostly empty room, almost barren except for a few sparse furnishings. Its size and shape resembled a small auditorium more than a typical room.

In the center stood a chair, and on that chair sat a young girl—Yuri.

But Yuri wasn’t alone in the room.

The space was filled with presences—dozens, maybe even hundreds. Though barely visible, they manifested as faint, translucent figures with vaguely human forms.

“Be careful. Those are spirits,” Presia warned, her magical sensitivity alerting her. But even without her warning, the oppressive aura emanating from the spirits was unmistakable.

Unlike the playful spirits Anne had dealt with earlier, these ones exuded formidable power.

Individually, they might not have been much of a threat to us, but with so many gathered in one place, the situation was entirely different.

If they decided to attack, there was no guarantee of our safety.

And so, we raised our swords and staves—not for ourselves, but to rescue Yuri, who was trapped in their midst.

Thankfully, the spirits didn’t seem to be actively harming Yuri yet, though they hovered ominously around her.

While we deliberated on how to rescue Yuri without provoking the spirits, a few of them began drifting closer to her.

“Stay back!” Yuri cried out, her voice trembling with fear.

Suddenly, the advancing spirits froze in place.

Celian, Anne, Presia, and I all exchanged confused glances, unsure of what had just happened. One of the spirits cautiously approached Yuri from behind and poked her shoulder.

“Eek! Get away!” Yuri screamed.

At her words, the spirits backed away en masse, including the one that had poked her.

“Sniff… I hate this…” Yuri sobbed, tears streaming down her face. But then, something even stranger happened.

Sniffle… Sniffle…

The spirits began sobbing along with her.

Dozens of spirits crying in unison sent chills down my spine. The air grew colder, and visible puffs of breath escaped from our mouths.

The others were trembling too, rubbing their arms against the cold.

Even the few pieces of furniture in the room began rattling violently, as if possessed.

“Sniff… El, where are you…” Yuri whimpered, her voice thick with tears.

The louder Yuri cried, the louder the spirits sobbed, and the more chaotic the room became.

“Yuri!”

No matter how dangerous the spirits were, I couldn’t just stand by any longer.

Unlike the rest of us, who could at least defend ourselves, Yuri was completely vulnerable—physically and emotionally unprepared to handle the situation.

“El…?”

My voice seemed to reach her through her sobs, and she called out to me, her voice trembling.

“Hang on! I’ll get you out of there!” I shouted.

“El, be careful!” Celian warned, but I had already dashed forward.

With my sword gripped tightly in one hand, I sprinted toward Yuri. Halfway there, I sensed an attack coming.

Clang!

I raised my sword toward the ominous energy I couldn’t see, intercepting a heavy blow that sent me stumbling back a few steps.

Hehehe…

A figure appeared in the direction of the attack—a young girl materializing out of thin air.

Unlike the indistinct forms of the other spirits, she looked almost human. If not for the dark energy radiating from her, she could have passed as one of us.

“So, Hero, you’ve made it this far,” she said, smirking.

She knows I’m a Hero? Could this basement be more than just a haunted area? Was it a trap set by the Demon King?

“Damn it, let Yuri go!”

Hehehe. Want to save the princess? Then defeat me and prove yourself.

Whoosh! Bang!

Presia, standing at a distance, fired a magical arrow straight at the ghostly girl. But the surrounding spirits instantly merged into a massive form and caught the arrow, crushing it as if it were nothing.

Even though Presia’s magic was weakened in this pitch-black basement where not even starlight could reach, the ease with which they blocked her attack showed that this was no ordinary foe.

“I’ll help!”

“Stay back!”

Celian and Anne rushed toward me, but the massive spirit split into two, blocking their path.

Clang!

Even with Celian’s skill as a Sword Master and Anne’s anti-magic aura, the spirits deflected their attacks effortlessly.

Hehehe. They can’t help you. Go ahead, feel the fear. The more terrified you are, the stronger we become…

The ghostly girl’s form began to change, growing more malevolent as her power surged.

She retained her human shape, but horns sprouted from her head, demonic wings unfurled from her back, and her nails grew into long, razor-sharp claws.

“Don’t make me laugh!”

Fear? The power emanating from the spirits and the girl’s monstrous appearance weren’t what scared me.

The only thing I feared was the possibility of losing Yuri.

Hehehe. This girl will become our vessel. She’s far too precious for the likes of you.

There was no longer any need to listen to the spirit’s words.

The only silver lining was that they weren’t actively harming Yuri.

If that was the case, I had no reason to hold back anymore.

“Who gave you the right? Saying you’ll take Yuri? Don’t make me laugh! You think I’d let you have her?”

A silver-white aura flared around the holy sword in my hand.

In the blink of an eye, I closed the gap and stood before the spirit.

The ghostly girl smirked at me, overconfident in her power, not even bothering to assume a defensive stance.

Slash!

Gyaaah! How could this happen to me?!

“What?”

I had anticipated resistance and prepared for a follow-up attack, but the spirit took my first strike head-on.

Though incorporeal, the spirit split in two, letting out an almost theatrical scream before disintegrating into the air.

“What the…?”

It wasn’t that this girl spirit was weaker than the dozens blocking Presia, Celian, and Anne. In fact, the overwhelming power she radiated suggested otherwise.

And yet, she had been defeated in a single strike.

It was baffling, but I guessed she had underestimated me and fallen victim to the holy sword’s power.

Looking around, I saw that the spirits blocking the others had disappeared as well.

What mattered most was that Yuri was safe.

Leaving the vanquished spirit behind, I rushed to Yuri, who was still bound to the chair.

“El…”

“Hang on. I’ll have you out of here in a second.”

The knots securing her were intricate, but they were no match for my sword, which sliced through them with ease.

Thud.

Freed from her bindings, Yuri immediately threw herself into my arms, trembling.

“You must have been so scared. I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner.”

“N-no, I’m just glad you came, El.”

“Alright, let’s get out of here. Let’s leave this creepy basement behind.”

“Okay.”

But Yuri, drained from crying, couldn’t stand properly and nearly collapsed.

Fortunately, I caught her before she fell, but it was clear she wouldn’t be able to walk on her own.

“Here, get on my back.”

“What? But—”

“No buts. Just get on.”

“O-okay…”

I squatted in front of her. Yuri hesitated, perhaps embarrassed to be carried at her age or worried about being a burden, but she eventually gave in to my insistence and climbed onto my back.

…As I walked, I tried to ignore the soft sensation against my back when a voice stopped us in our tracks.

No, you won’t leave!